In building construction, there is still a substantial demand for the use of brick on exterior surfaces of both residential and commercial buildings. Often in construction environment, the exterior brick surfaces are not load bearing structures and function primarily as an aesthetically pleasing building material.
However, the use of regular size bricks laid by a mason can be a relatively expensive process. Masons are highly trained construction workers who have developed expertise in laying bricks which permits them to demand relatively high wages to lay the bricks in place. Even with this expertise, substantial time is required to construct a brick wall or other facade in a professional manner. The time and expense have often made the use of brick as a construction material prohibitive for many builders and developers.
Attempts have been made at fabricating veneer facing walls utilizing half-inch thick brick to reduce these costs. An example of such a system is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,206 issued to Passeno, Jr. on Oct. 13, 1970 (hereinafter the Passeno patent). The structure disclosed by Passeno requires the use of a metal layer with a number of thin edges to support the bricks. A plurality of holes are formed entirely through at least the metal portion of the panel to accept the overflow of adhesive employed for retaining the building blocks in the proper disposition. The panel is provided with inwardly extending flanges to space the panels from a building wall and provide insulating dead air space.
There are a number of deficiencies which have characterized panels of this type. One is the use of aluminum for one of the panel surfaces to support the brick in place. Aluminum and other metals are subject to corrosion and deterioration creating paths for potential leakage. In addition, a metal panel is difficult to cut and shape in meeting custom requirements at the work site.
The insulation properties have not always been completely satisfactory. In the Passeno patent the insulating backing has a relatively low "R" value considering the thickness of the material. As a result, additional insulation may have to be installed on the exterior surface of the building structure before the paneling can be secured in place.
Certain types of paneling require that the brick be fixed to the panel at the factory and shipped to the site for erection. The problem with this approach is that there may be errors fabrication which cannot be corrected for at the work site, producing a facade which does not mate properly with other elements of the building.
In addition, the unique appearance of site laid brick is lost. Bricks and mortar age by changing color and texture. Factory made brick panels fabricated at different times age at different rates. When these panels are erected the color and texture differences can be readily perceived by the consumer. This lack of "genuineness" has detracted from what otherwise would be wider acceptance of a brick panel system.
A goal of any exterior siding is the minimization of moisture leakage through the exterior walls to interior surfaces. A problem which has plagued certain panel structures is that the prevention of leakage has not been satisfactory. Improper fabrication at the factory and erection at the construction site can create paths entirely through the panel. Moisture can find its way through such paths and damage the dry wall on the interior of the house. Thus, the prevention of moisture flow through the panel structure is critical.
The problems noted above have largely been solved by the invention described herein. The panel configuration of the invention is easily adaptable to various building structures, such as windows, doors, and other openings, for example. The panel can be quickly and efficiently secured to studs or other load bearing surfaces in proper alignment. The bricks are friction-fitted into the panel and remain there until the adhesive is sufficiently hardened and the mortar is laid.
Extruded foamed polystyrene forms an inner portion of backing to obtain a greater insulation value for the thickness of the material employed. The outer portion of the panel is vacuum-formed polystyrene of a relatively thin dimensions when compared to the thickness.
A number of equally spaced channel bars which form the channels in which the bricks are held in place until they are secured by adhesive and mortar. The channel bars themselves are specially configured and sufficiently resilient to hold the bricks in the panel after being pressed into place. The thickness of the channel bars corresponds to the distance between the bricks which would normally occur if the bricks were laid by a mason for the laying of mortar. The height of the channel bars is somewhat less than the thickness of the bricks so that there will be sufficient space for receiving the mortar once the bricks have been properly located in the panel.
Recesses and smooth surfaces are provided along the length of alternate channels between the channel bars to facilitate securing the panel to a stud or other structure. The recesses enable portions of certain fastening means to be relieved below the surface of the channels so as not to interfere with the adhesive bonding of the brick to the channel surface.
A drip edge is provided on the lowermost surface panel to interact with a corresponding channel bar of an adjacent panel or the ground to impede the seepage between interfaces. Similarly, the side walls of the panels are provided with a tongue and groove configuration, again to insure that they interlock properly when mounted on the building structure and to minimize the moisture leakage.
The above has been a brief discussion of some problems with prior panels and features of the invention which overcome these problems. Other features of the invention will become more apparent from a detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follows.